Quilting is a term for combining at least 3 layers of fabric together by stitching either by hand or machine. The process of quilting can be overwhelming and frustrating if you’re just starting out. I have come up with a few quilting tips for beginners for you that I wish I would have known when I started.
If you’re a new quilter, your first quilt will be so exciting and scary! Everyone starts as a beginner not knowing all the things. Once you get an understanding of how quilting works, you will be making all the quilty things with ease in no time!
Start Simple
Start with a simple pattern. I know those big beautiful, complex quilts are amazing! But when you’re just getting started, they’re not ideal.
A simple pattern will help get you started off on the right foot, help you learn some of the basic terms (which we’ll cover a few in this post), and help you from getting too overwhelmed and frustrated on your first project.
Simple quilts can be and are just as beautiful as some of the fancier quilt designs out there.
Choosing Fabric
For your quilt, you don’t want the cheapest fabric you can buy. Cheap fabric can fray really easy and lead to more frustration. You also don’t need to buy the most expensive fabric either.
The best fabric to make a quilt with is a long staple cotton (or known as quilting fabric). Meaning the fabric is woven and made in a weight that is able to to hold up for machine piecing and quilting.
There are other types of fabrics that you can use in quilting. However you’d want to do your research on those fabrics to know how to properly use them in a quilt and avoid any problems.
Make sure you have your pattern chosen before picking out fabric. The pattern will tell you how many colors, and how many yards of each fabric you will need.
Also keep your color wheel in mind when choosing fabric, so you don’t end up pairing fabrics with colors that won’t look good together.
Cutting Fabric
It’s important to cut your pieces accurately the first time. If your pieces are all different, it’ll make piecing the quilt together much more difficult. And if you’re pieces are cut too big, you might be spending more time going back and cutting then into the right size.
Having your pieces cut properly will ensure that you’re quilt goes together much easier.
1/4″ Seam allowance
Almost all quilting patterns require a 1/4 inch seam allowance. This means you sew all your pieces together 1/4 inch from the edge.
Many quilters like to invest in a 1/4 inch walking foot so then they can just line they’re fabric up with the edge of the foot, and sew with the edge of the foot being their guide. If this isn’t something you have, you can always draw a line on the fabric to follow to make getting the correct seam allowance easier until you have a better idea on what 1/4 inch looks like being sewn on your machine.
The reason for needing to follow the seam allowance as closely as possible is so again, your pieces are as close to same size as possible. Different sizes will create other problems down the line.
Pressing
Pressing is like ironing. You use your iron to get any wrinkles out of the fabric BUT it’s important to note the difference between regular ironing and pressing.
Ironing you typically wiggle or rub the iron all over whatever your getting wrinkles out of.
Pressing is an up and down motion. You put the iron down and pick it up. No wiggling or rubbing of the fabric.
When you wiggle the iron on the fabric, you risk shifting the threads in the fabric causing it to change shape. Pressing stops that from happening.
Nesting Seams
And lastly nesting your seams. Nesting the seams is when you press your seams opposite, so when you sew them together, they fit or “nest” into each other. This makes sewing pieces and rows together to make those perfect point, so much easier.
And that’s it! 6 quilting tips for beginners that I wish I knew before making my first quilt. I hope you find these helpful and feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. Happy quilting!
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